SAT Vocab List 1

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Terms in this set (...)

abstract

exist as thoughts in the mind, and are not related to physical objects or real events and actions (2) expresses the artist's ideas or feelings rather than showing the exact appearance of people or things

academic

relating to education, especially education in colleges and universities (2) good at learning things by studying

allege

to say that something is true or that someone has done something wrong or illegal, even though it has not been proved

alleviate

to make something less painful, severe, or serious

allude

to mention someone or something in an indirect way

ambiguous

not clear and therefore capable of being understood in more than one way (2) confusing or not definite, and therefore difficult to understand

analogous

similar to another situation, process etc so that the same things are true of or relevant to both

anthropology

the study of human societies, customs, and beliefs. Someone who studies anthropology is called an anthropologist.

arbitrate

to officially try to settle a disagreement by considering all the facts and opinions

ascertain

to find out, learn, or determine with certainty

aspiration

something that you want to achieve, or the wish to achieve something

atypical

not usual

audible

loud enough for people to hear

bolster

to make something stronger or more effective

callous

not feeling or showing any concern about the problems or suffering of other people

catastrophe

an event that causes a lot of damage or makes a lot of people suffer

censure

severe criticism of someone

commend

to praise someone or something formally or publicly (2) to tell someone that a person or thing is good, useful, or suitable

complacent

too confident and relaxed because you think you can deal with something easily, even though this may not be true

condemn

to say publicly that you think someone or something is bad or wrong (2) to give a punishment to someone who has committed a crime

conducive

creating a situation that helps something to happen

console

to try to make someone feel better when they are unhappy or disappointed

contempt

a feeling that someone or something is unimportant and deserves no respect (2) a failure to show appropriate respect for something that other people consider to be important

cunning

using intelligence to get what is wanted, especially by tricking or cheating people

debunk

to prove that something such as an idea or belief is false

demeanor

a person's appearance and behavior

denounce

to criticize someone or something severely in public (2) to tell an authority such as the police that a particular person is responsible for a crime

detract

to make something seem less good, attractive, or important

diligent

working very hard, carefully, and/or efficiently

disperse

to move away from each other (2) to cause to separate

divert

to make something move or travel in a different direction (2) to do something to take people's attention away from something that you do not want them to concentrate on or notice

eccentric

slightly strange or unusual ways

embellish

to make a story more interesting by adding details, especially ones that are not completely true (2) to make something more beautiful by decorating it

empathy

the ability to understand how someone feels because you can imagine what it is like to be them

epitome

the best possible example of a particular type of person or thing

eradicate

to get rid of something completely, especially something bad

estrangement

no longer being on friendly terms or part of a social group, or to be distantly removed from something you were once close to

eulogy

a speech or a piece of writing in which you praise someone or something (2) a speech at a funeral about the person who has died

exacerbate

to make a problem worse

fallible

not perfect, and likely to be wrong or make mistakes

futile

pointless or useless

illusory

not real, but with an appearance of being real

incompetent

lacking the ability or skills to do something

inherent

a quality that is a basic or essential feature of something

inhibit

to make it difficult for a process to start or continue in a normal way

intuitive

based on your feelings rather than on facts or evidence (2) (system/software) easy to use because the process of operating it is very obvious

invoke

to use a law or rule in order to achieve something (2) to make someone feel a particular emotion or see a particular image in their minds (3) to ask for help from someone who is stronger or more powerful, especially a god

mediocre

average or below average in quality, ability, or achievement

melodramatic

behaving in a way that is too emotional or too serious

meticulous

very thorough and with careful attention to detail

modest

fairly small, especially when compared with other things of the same type (2) does not like to talk about themselves, their achievements, or their abilities, even if they are successful

negligent

failing to give care or attention, especially when this causes harm or damage (2) relaxed and informal

nonchalant

relaxed and not worried about anything

notorious

famous for something bad

opaque

difficult to see through (2) difficult to understand

opportune

happening at a suitable time or at a time that seems lucky

oppress

to treat people who are less powerful in an unfair and cruel way/to keep them down (2) to make someone feel very worried or unhappy

parasite

a lazy person who lives by getting money, food etc from other people (2) a plant or animal that lives in or on another type of animal and feeds on it

partisan

showing strong and usually unfair support for one particular person, group, or idea

perplex

to make someone feel confused

pertinent

relevant to something

prophetic

describing something that will happen in the future

refute

to prove that a statement is false

reminiscence

stories or thoughts of past experience

renown

the state of being famous and admired for a special skill or achievement

resilient

able to quickly become healthy, happy, or strong again after an illness, disappointment, or other problem (2) able to return to its original shape after being bent, stretched, or pressed

reticent

not willing to provide information about something, especially about yourself or your feelings

rigorous

thorough and careful (2) strict, or severe

scarce

not very much of something/rare

scrupulous

very careful to be honest and to do what is morally correct (2) done very carefully, giving a lot of attention to details

skeptical

having or expressing doubt about something

stifle

to stop someone from breathing (2) to stop something from developing normally (3) to stop yourself from doing something that shows how you feel

thwart

to prevent someone from doing something that they want to do

vindicate

to prove that someone is right, or something they said, did, or decided was right, especially when most people believed they were wrong

zealous

full of energy, effort, and enthusiasm, especially in your political or religious ideas